Takashi
by Lilacpaw
Summary: Follow the adventures of Takashi, an Eevee, and after evolution, Espeon. (Cover image: Takashi's sketch)
1. Prologue

**A/N I'm sure some of you older readers have noticed that I am editing this entire fic. Well, I hope you like the change. And yes, some things don't make sense. Excuse me while I time travel backwards and have a long talk with Younger Me.**

Evening. The Sun started to sink below the horizon. Evening bird Pokémon sang their melodies, sweet and full of joy, a welcome addition to the stifling summer air. In the midst of all this, three dark shapes slipped out of the shadows.

On closer inspection, one could tell that these were Pokémon of the same family, how similar certain features were. They moved with the grace of a fox, silence of a cat, and the bravery of a canine.

The blue fox-like creature stopped dead in her tracks, raising her face to the setting Sun. Aqua-coloured ridges ran down her back, and from her forehead and sides of her head sprouted fins, with thin cream webbing inside. The Vaporeon's split tail was curled up, holding an egg and serving as an extra paw.

She sniffed, looking for familiar scents. Her little nose quivered. "That way," she commanded. Evidently she was the only one of the trio that knew where she was going.

"Where are we going?" huffed the yellow Pokémon, struggling to catch up with her. The Vaporeon was unusually fast, and although he was an Electric-type, years spent in captivity hadn't done him any good where training was concerned. His Nopelt had caught him to keep as a pet, and so, over the years, he had grown somewhat fat and lazy.

Until one winter day when the beautiful Vaporeon had stumbled into his home, nearly half-starved then, unable to find any rich pickings in the snow, thin ribs showing through, but still pretty nonetheless. He recalled his first meeting with Rei, the Water-type holding his gaze determinedly, apologizing in a stiff dignified manner.

He had tried to get her to stay. "My Nopelt will be sure to bring you some food. Look at you, all fur and bones."

"I'm sorry, but I must refuse," Rei had replied flatly. "I am a creature of the wild. I do not accept food from Nopelts."

"But how will you get through the winter?"

"I'll find a way. This isn't exactly the first winter I have been through."

She had turned away from him, slender paws hardly making any sound as she padded along the hard wooden floor.

"Wait!" He had jumped to his feet. "Could you...maybe come back here again?" When Rei had given him a disdainful look, he lowered his ears and steeled himself. "I...I haven't met anypoké else. Maybe we could be friends."

But, oh, no. He hadn't wanted to _just_ be friends.

"The Viridian forest, Voltheo." Rei's voice cut into his thoughts now. He stood now, on the grassy expanse. His yellow paws tingled._Freedom! It's been so long! _It wasn't only his newfound free will, but he would not rather have any other Pokémon to experience it beside. Rei was his mate now, and trotting behind them was Nyroc, his little son. His heart swelled with pride.

"Okay, I'll slow down. After all, you were a Nopelt's monster once." There was laughter in Rei's black eyes. He loved those eyes, just as he loved every single thing about her. Those black eyes, tinted with just a hint of violet.

Voltheo gently cuffed her ear. He had to admit the water pokemon was right. It was going to take some time to rebuild his muscles and increase his speed again. He stared back at his Nopelt's fence, a reminder of his past life. _Not my Nopelt anymore,_ he reminded himself. A pang of anguish stabbed his heart. He still sometimes wondered if he should have left his old Nopelt, who had only shown him love and affection. He felt somewhat guilty.

Down by his legs, the Eevee began to wail much for guilt. "Dad, how much longer? My feet feel like a pile of bonemerangs!"

Voltheo licked the brown pokemon's long ears. "Rei?" The water pokemon's eyes glinted. "Soon, Nyroc. It's just over this grass now, and past that city over there."

The Electric-type looked back at the Nopelt's house he had left. Nyroc had lived in that house too, if only for a little while.. The Nopelt had named both of them, and leaving him felt as if the great Arceus had been stricken down overnight, never to watch over all Pokémon again.

Voltheo missed his familiar apricornball and his comfortable bed. On the other hand, he remembered what it felt like in the wild, and the early frustration of being cooped up in that red apricornball that his former Nopelt had used to catch him.

When Nyroc had hatched, Voltheo had brought his son to his Nopelt for a name. The Nopelt had assumed the young Eevee was his friend back then. The Jolteon shook his head, shaking out his wild spiky fur. What good would reminiscing about the past do him? It would only cause him more guilt. Anyway, he had a family now. They needed him. He could not live with a paw in both worlds. And soon, he would have another Eevee.

As if on cue, the egg started shaking. "Looks like it's hatching," gasped Rei, who was a knowledgeable mother, setting the egg down carefully on the grass.

"It's gonna explode!" wailed Nyroc, who knew nothing about Pokémon eggs and their hatching.

The egg kept shaking, its shell cracking. A Eevee's small head poked through it. His eyes shined with a curious light, the look of the newly-hatched taking in the surroundings of this new world.

"It's a boy," said Rei in a hushed voice.

The Eevee shook its ears and peered up at his parents and brother. "Ee," he squeaked. Newborn Pokémon could only speak their names, until they learned to talk.

"Look, Nyroc," said Voltheo, nosing the slightly larger Eevee towards his older brother, "It's your new baby brother. Say hello!"

"His name is Takashi," added Rei. Takashi was a rather popular male Pokémon name in the Kanto region.

Nyroc stared at Takashi, his eyes emotionless. Somehow he hadn't realized that the egg would contain his new sibling. Slowly he stood up on all fours.

"_Hello, _Takashi," he hissed with such utter contempt, amazing for a four-week old Eevee. Had his parents heard, he would have certainly received a hard tail-slap from Rei and a glare from Voltheo. But no, this small creature was amazingly calculative for his age, intelligent beyond his young age.

"_Welcome to the world_."


	2. Chapter 1

On the outskirts of the Viridian forest was a den, under a big bush. It was not so much a den as a tunnel dug underground.

Naturally, many Pokémon found their way inside.

"Hey, mind if I stay here?" a Pikachu inquired, tilting his head to the side.

Voltheo, ever the one with the generous heart, nodded. "I would much enjoy the company of another Electric-type. This tunnel is so _suffocating_ and full of earth. Do stay as long as you like."

"And us too?" asked a group of Weedle. "Oh, please don't send us outside to suffer the wrath of those insufferable bird Pokémon," they begged.

"Well, I'm _sorry_, but we need to survive," snapped a Pidgeotto, unfolding his wings slightly. "And it's not as if we torture you before eating you. We try to kill you as quickly as possible, so that you would have a painless death." 

The Weedle, however, remained unconvinced and huddled together even more tightly. The Pidgeotto snorted and tossed his head. Voltheo looked awkward.

In the midst of all the chattering, one voice rose above the others. "Takashi! Move _it_!" an Umbreon growled impatiently. He wanted to bed down, but _no_, that dratted little Eevee just _had_ to be there.

"But there's no space for me to move, Nyroc!" Takashi complained. Rei shot a warning glance at her elder son. Since Takashi had been born, Nyroc had done nothing but be mean to the Eevee. One night, he had been so annoyed that he had just ran off into the forest to do Arceus knew what.

Well, everypoké soon got their answer when an Umbreon turned up later. No one had actually recognised him. He had just shouldered his way inside and when everypoké in the tunnel started chattering about his rudeness, Nyroc had rather exasperatedly identified himself.

Since then, he had a habit of just wandering off into the darkness alone, without warning. His parents didn't say anything. They supposed that the night was calling him, making the yellow rings on his fur glow, beckoning Nyroc to romp around freely under the moonlight.

And now, Nyroc was leaving yet again. He whipped Takashi with his tail as he stalked by. The other Pokémon stared at him with baleful eyes, some insect-like, some bird-like, and all relieved.

Takashi distantly wondered why his brother didn't like him much. Surely brothers were meant to love one another? Maybe his brother just wasn't sleeping enough and got crabby because of it. He sure wasn't sleeping a lot during the day.

"Looks like he'll be out for a while," sighed Rei, listening to Nyroc's pawsteps fade away as she curled up in a comfortable spot in their den. Voltheo shrugged as he moved to lie down beside Rei. His usually prickly fur now lay flat, so as not to damage the Water-type Pokémon.

"Mom! Dad!" squeaked Takashi. "Tell me the story of the Starpelts and Starfeathers again."

Voltheo didn't budge, and Takashi knew he was asleep. However, Rei raised her head wearily and started to speak. As she told the story to Takashi again, the other Pokémon crowded around to hear it. Seemed like everypoké liked this legend.

"A long, long time ago, there was only Mew, and Arceus. Mew had the power to transform into anything, but he couldn't _create_ anything. Arceus, meanwhile, had the power to give life, but he most certainly did not want to do anything, and definitely did not want to spend time thinking about the designs of his creations. Mew felt terribly lonely. Arceus, after all, was not very good company. He wanted other friends."

Rei paused to take a breath, and all the Pokémon surrounding her leaned in closer. 

"So, with great effort, Mew managed to convince Arceus to create. Arceus made all Pokémon, with some help from Mew regarding their looks. And Mew was happy, no longer alone with grumpy Arceus."

"However, as the Mew would not age, he saw the Pokémon who could age start to grow old. Eventually, they died. Mew was sad. He wanted a nice place for them. Mew requested for Arceus to make a place in the stars. A place for dead pokemon who wouldn't think twice about doing good. Spirits who did good when they were alive go to that place after death. Those spirits are known as Starpelts or Starfeathers. Starfeathers refer to the spirits of bird pokemon and the rest of the spirits are known as Starpelts, even those who don't have any pelts. However, Arceus also created another place in the sky, but away from the stars, and instead in the shadows…"

A Weedle flicked his tail. "I knew there was a catch. With Arceus there's always a catch."

Rei's voice began to falter and Takashi knew she was tired. He stepped forward to snuggle against her warm body, so similiar to water and yet comforting all the Pidgeotto gently prodded Rei with a wing and she raised her head again.

"That was a place meant for Pokémon with cold hearts, who know nothing but destruction and slaughter. The spirits of evil pokemon go there to suffer after death. Those spirits are known as Shadowpelts or Shadowfeathers. Shadowfeathers are the bird spirits and Shadowpelts are the rest. You know the drill. Thankfully, not many spirits go to that horrid place."

"I hope I get to be a Starpelt when I die," said a Caterpie. "Even though I don't have a pelt." She tilted her large head thoughtfully. "Actually, that part never made much sense to me. When I die I would also like to have a _long talk_ with Arceus about this."

"That's the end of the story," Rei told the listening Pokémon. "Now hush, and please let me go to sleep."

Rei lay her head down again and closed her eyes, curling her long blue tail around her body. The rest of the pokemon began to find a place to sleep in the dim light of the tunnel, save for the Pidgeotto, who walked out of the den to find some tree to perch on.

Takashi, slowly drifting into sleep, couldn't help wondering if Nyroc would become a Shadowpelt when he died. The black Pokémon had always seemed cold and unfriendly to Takashi. He didn't even know why his brother was angry at him.

_What have I done? _he wondered bleakly as sleep came and dragged him off to peaceful dreams.

Meanwhile, outside the den, a cold wind blew over the Viridian Forest, shaking the trees and causing Pinecos to drop out of them. Of course, they were unhappy at this, but being green pinecones they had to keep it to themselves.

A single lone Pokémon stalked through the undergrowth. Back towards his home. Back towards his parents who he loved and respected. Back towards that annoying little brother.

Reaching the bush, he paused, the fur along his back bristling. He turned suddenly, wanting to see if he could catch any spies in the act. Although, that was silly. Who would want to spy on him?

Sure enough, a Pidgeotto was perched in a nearby tree, though he appeared to be asleep. _Ah_, Nyroc thought, fur lying flat again. It was just a Pidgeotto. The Umbreon strode into the underground den.

What he hadn't realised was the Pidgeotto had opened his eyes and was watching his entrance.

Nyroc blinked, red eyes adjusting to the dim light. It was so dark in the tunnel, even the Dark-type could not really see around, he tried to make sure that the Pokémon he wanted was present.

Aha. So he was.

Guided only by the faint light emitted from his yellow rings, the Umbreon slipped next to his slumbering brother and whispered, "Takashi. Get up. I have a place to show you," he cooed.

The brown pokemon blinked. He stood up, shaking moss off his pelt and cream-coloured collar of fur. "Nyroc? Where are we going?"

The Eevee was instantly awake, eyes sparkling with excitement. _Foolish Eevee_, Nyroc thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "I know a place where we can play alone, under the beautiful night. As brothers."

Leading the way, Nyroc padded out of the tunnel on light paws. Takashi followed with a bounce in his paws.

It was a dark, moonless night. The white ball of light had completely vanished, to be replaced with a few thin wisps of silver cloud where it used to be.

With only the light of his own glowing rings, Nyroc slid through the forest. Takashi followed more carefully now, as if he was scared Rei and Voltheo would find them, be enraged and take them both back to their den while yowling at them.

"Can you wait for me?" puffed Takashi, the distance between him and Nyroc growing longer by the minute.

"Just a little further," called the Umbreon from up ahead. "Tell you what," he added "Since it's so near, I'll carry you the rest of the way."

The Eevee squealed as Nyroc's teeth met in his furry collar. The Umbreon smirked, unknown to his passenger. How he would have liked to sink his teeth all the way in, to taste his brother's flowing blood and knowing that was what had killed him off. If only he could have done that.

But no. His parents were bound to ask in the morning.

Nyroc made his way through the forest, setting the bundle of fur down beside a hard, coal black surface. "This is the fun place, Takashi," Nyroc hissed.

Oblivious to his brother's tone, Takashi looked around. "But Nyroc," he complained, "There's no Pokémon to play with! Why is it fun?"

"I'll leave you to find out," Nyroc promised. A dark gleam had entered his eye.

Suddenly, Nyroc pushed Takashi onto the hard black surface, into the light of an incoming car.


	3. Chapter 2

"Takashi!"

Suddenly, a blinding flash of yellow fur lifted Takashi and dragged him to safety. The Eevee felt his savior letting him stared at Nyroc, whose eyes were wide with shock and jaws open. "Dad?" Evidently, the Jolteon was getting faster.

Takashi's father snarled at Nyroc, revealing sharp, pointy teeth. "Son, you and I are going to have a long talk about this in the den."

The car had sped past now, with only the faint screeches of its tires giving away that it had been here at all. Takashi wondered if the Nopelt driving it had even noticed the three pokemon.

A bush rustled behind Nyroc, and Rei appeared. Her usually gentle eyes were now narrowed in anger. "And I believe you have a story to tell. Why did you push Takashi on that road? A car could have hit him! And how did you manage to drag him all the way here?"

"I..I," stammered Nyroc, for once at a loss for words. He pawed the ground nervously.

"He didn't drag me all the way here, Mom," piped up Takashi from where he sat, huddled beside Voltheo. "He told me that this was a fun place, where we could play as brothers, so I came willingly. Nyroc only carried me the rest of the way when I got tired."

Voltheo glanced at Nyroc, then back to Takashi. "And you believed him?" There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Yes," Takashi admitted. "I was so happy Nyroc wanted to spend time with me. You know, with him not being nice to me since I was born and everything…"

"Come on, Nyroc," Rei spun around and flicked her tail at Nyroc. "Time to go."

"But, Mom," Nyroc started, but his jaws closed when Rei's gaze hardened. The Vaporeon bared her teeth at her son, threatening to douse him with some water. "Now."

Muttering away inaudibly, Nyroc followed. Voltheo picked Takashi up again, carrying him silently back to the underground tunnel.

The group walked in silence through the forest, back to their den. Takashi glimpsed Nyroc glaring at him from time to time, and occasionally the black fox-like Pokémon snarled at him.

Rei turned around and gave Nyroc a warning hiss. "Do that one more time, and you'll become a furless Pokémon."

Nyroc said nothing, but he stopped turning to glare at his brother. Takashi heaved a sign of relief. He had started to wonder if Nyroc had learned Glare somewhere and was trying to unnerve him. Or perhaps he had learned Mean Look.

When all four pokemon reached the tunnel at dawn, they managed to catch some of the Pokémon leaving.

"Many, many thanks!" the group of Weedle called out, squirming along the ground slowly. It wasn't that surprising that they were easy pickings for any Pidgey circling overhead.

The Pikachu bowed his head to Voltheo before scampering off to find his friends.

Only the Pidgeotto, flying on the spot, remained. He gave Nyroc a triumphant look.

Voltheo nodded at the dual-type pokemon. "Hato over there woke us up and told us you two were out of the den." The Jolteon looked at his sons sternly, Nyroc in particular. "You will have to be punished, Nyroc," he went on. "Your mother and I will discuss it."

Slipping back into the den, Voltheo gave the Umbreon one last glare before vanishing into the shadows. At once, Nyroc rounded on Takashi. "It's your fault I'm in trouble," he hissed.

"My fault?" Takashi reeled back. Alright, that was it. His brother had completely lost his mind. It was _him_ who had brought him to that road!

"Yes," the black Pokémon glowered at him, before stalking off to another patch of tall grass in the Viridian Forest.

"Nyroc," the Eevee called after his brother. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Nyroc paused, and then looked back, hatred in his eyes. "It's obvious Mom and Dad love you much more than me," he spat. "You stole all their attention. I'll never forgive you for that."

"Of course they still love you," Takashi said, bewildered. "You know that."

Ahead, Takashi was sure Nyroc snorted. "Tell that to Mom and Dad," he snarled, then bounded along the patches of grass; the shadows swallowed him up and he was gone.

Hato shook his feathered head above Takashi. "That one will never learn," he commented.

Takashi stared at the rising sun, thoughts invading his mind like a flock of bird Pokémon. Was Hato right?

Rei and Voltheo padded out of the tunnel, dispersing those thoughts. "Nyroc!" they yelled. "Come here!"

The Umbreon's ears twitched, then padded over to his parents, deliberately taking his time. After a few minutes, he finally stood in front of them, chin up, the very picture of rebellion.

Takashi watched his brother with wide eyes. Beside him, Hato made a noise that sounded like a snort.

"Good. I hope your parents make him clean up their waste for the rest of his life," he sneered, or at least the best that a bird could manage a sneer.

"Nyroc," Rei said remarkably calmly. "Your punishment now is to train endlessly for days on end."

Nyroc looked at her disbelievingly. "That's all? That simple? I train everyday anyway!"

Voltheo raised a paw. "And you have to hunt your own food. Learn to do it yourself. We won't do it for you."

Nyroc tilted his head. "That sounds fair. In the meantime, though, I'm going to attack some random Pokémon." He ran off and disappeared into the tall grass.

Moments later, a Pikachu's loud cry could be heard, as well as a call of "Hey, wait! I need to eat! This is harder than I thought!" Nyroc's voice.

Despite the evil deed Nyroc had done, Takashi still felt sorry for the Umbreon. Imagine having to catch your own prey before you were ready! Takashi had a good mind to evolve to Leafeon. Then he could just stand around and photosynthesize.

But before that happened, though, he needed to learn to hunt.

"Mum! Dad!" he squeaked. "Can I go learn to hunt? I need to if I want to survive!"

Rei licked Takashi's ear affectionately. "See that, Volt? Our little son, already such a thinker! Why don't you go teach him?"

"I'll stay here to guard the tunnel with Rei," Hato added. The Jolteon looked confused. "Why would you do that for us?"

Hato blinked. "Truth is, I've been lonely since I left my fledgling nest. So I was hoping I could become friends with you guys?"

Rei looked surprised. "Why, of course! The more the merrier. You've helped us once before, and we should repay the favour as well."

Nodding at Hato, Voltheo set off with Takashi. The Pokémon padded side by side into the tall grass. Sometimes, though, Voltheo would sniff around.

"What're you doing, Dad?" asked Takashi, curious.

Voltheo smiled, showing off his sharp little fangs. "I'm searching for prey, of course."

"Oh! Lemme try!" Takashi then proceeded to sniff around as well, mimicking his father's actions. Voltheo gave him a look of pride.

"Hey, Dad?" Takashi stopped short. "Something smells wierd."

"Try to describe the smell to me," Voltheo coaxed the Eevee.

Takashi sniffed harder. "It smells...sweaty? And it's really strong too."

Voltheo froze suddenly. "Takashi...take a look."

Takashi stepped forward. In front of him lay a round, ball-like object. Takashi pushed it softly with his front paws; it rolled away, but not before the Eevee could feel its surprising hardness. It had looked like a apricorn but, now, Takashi knew it wasn't one.

Takashi froze. Apricorn. Ball. Apricornball. Surely it couldn't be… He gazed into the equally frightened eyes of his father. He knew what word was flashing through both their minds.

_Nopelt._

A heavy stomp made him turn around. Both foxes looked up into the wild eyes of a Machamp.


	4. Chapter 3

"What's a great brute like that doing here?" Voltheo sneered.

The Jolteon moved protectively in front of Takashi, his legs tensed as if preparing to pounce on the Machamp and fight.

"I don't need to fight you," the Machamp retorted calmly. Takashi thought how strange that was, considering the situation. Voltheo seemed confused as well.

"I'll have to ask my Nopelt if she wants to fight a wild pokemon," he went on. "You might not be worth it if she has to carry me all the way to the Pokémon center."

"Pokémon center?" wondered Takashi.

"It's the place where Nopelt's monsters go to get healed much faster than by using berries," Voltheo hissed under his breath. "What do you mean we're not worth it?" he demanded loudly.

The Machamp ignored him. He turned around a let a loud roar escape him. The trees seemed to shake with the loudness of it. Takashi faintly wondered if the Machamp knew Hyper Voice.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Voltheo was just beginning to relax when bushes parted and a young female Nopelt stepped out.

"Yes, Sky?" she seemed to be bewildered. "Why'd you call me?"

The humongous fighting pokemon pointed at the two Pokémon hiding in the tall grass. Voltheo growled.

The Nopelt's eyes lit up. "Those are rare Pokémon!" she exclaimed, pointing at them. "We have to capture them!" Both wild Pokémon stared at each other in alarm.

"That's my order to fight." There was all the cold of winter in Sky's voice. "So prepare yourselves."

"Sky! Attack! Give'em all you've got!" the young Nopelt yowled excitedly.

Without a warning, Sky swung forward; Voltheo instantly defended Takashi. The fox growled and shot several sharp needle-like objects at Sky, an attack Takashi recognised as Pin missile.

However, the well-built Pokémon simply dodged all the blows and landed a punch on Voltheo. The Electric-type gave a loud yowl that shook the trees, causing the Nopelt to cover her ears, and Sky to use all four arms to cover where his ears would be. Aha. Now that was the real Hyper Voice. 

The Eevee crouched down with his fur bristling. Takashi knew he was frightened, yet he knew he couldn't leave his father alone to defend himself. But, he didn't know if he even knew any attack moves…

But he could try.

With a sudden surge of energy, Takashi leaped forward and bit the Machamp furiously. Voltheo stopped trying to attack Sky and looked up, horror in his black eyes.

"Takashi!" he called. "Stop! You're not even trained! A Machamp can easily take out a weak Normal like you!"

"I'm ready if I say I am," growled Takashi, his voice muffled by his victim's skin. He bit down harder, until he could taste the metallic flavor of the Fighting-type Pokémon's blood.

Sky gave a roar and shook his body, trying to dislodge Takashi. But the Eevee held on, starting to pound Sky's humongous body. Distantly he wondered if these were counted as moves.

The Nopelt dashed over at once. "Sky! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. "Come on. Leave those two...evil Pokémon! " she glanced at the two wild Pokémon. "You need to get to a pokemon centre quick. Come on. Get in your ball."

She took out a blue apricornball and instantly the Machamp disappeared in a flash of light. It had appeared to be coming from the ball. Takashi looked at it with interest. _Ooh, interesting._

As the Nopelt strode away, Voltheo began to groom his ruffled fur; his pelt was smeared with Sky's blood. "You fought well," he murmured. "If not dirty. Don't bite so hard next time. That kind of bite is for prey, not battle-"

His voice trailed off. "Takashi. Your pelt's glowing," he told his son, looking with wonder at him.

"I...I feel new strength," Takashi stammered. He looked around at his brown pelt; it was indeed glowing.

"Evolution?" Voltheo murmured, mostly to himself. "And so soon? Even Nyroc took a few weeks..."

"What's happening, Dad?" Takashi yowled in panic as a cocoon of light enveloped him. He couldn't see; he only knew that some parts of him were changing. And in the transformation, he felt a new feeling flow into his limbs. Was he changing type?

Part of him still wanted to be an Eevee, to never have to experience this. But he knew that this was unavoidable.

_Come, Takashi_, a voice seemed to whisper. _This is your new power-embrace it._

The blinding light finally faded. Around him, Takashi could still see the forest, everything was normal, apart from Voltheo staring at him like a hawk. He was lying on his side, dazed, he struggled to get up to his paws-paws, he saw now, were purple-pink.

"What happened, Dad?" asked Takashi. Then he wrinkled his nose. Even his voice sounded different: deeper and less of a squeak than when he had been an Eevee.

"Takashi," Voltheo replied. "You evolved."

Takashi stared at him. "Evolved? You mean, turned from one Pokémon into another?"

"Yes. Look." Voltheo guided his son, the newly-evolved to a puddle of water. In it, Takashi could see not his brown, fluffy face; but the reflection of a purple-pink pokemon, whose violet eyes sparkled like the sun and betrayed deep wisdom, wisdom beyond his young age.

Takashi was silent for many moments. Then, he lifted his head. On top, he could see a sparkling gem, glowing a bright red in the sunlight. "An Espeon. I'm an Espeon, aren't I?"

Voltheo brushed against him. "Yes. You are." Even this felt weird to Takashi. He was nearly the same height as his father now. And without his ruff-like collar, his neck felt exposed. _Did Nyroc feel like this when he evolved?_ he thought.

"So I'm a Psychic-type now?" Takashi frowned, flicking his tail-a tail that was no longer fox-like and fluffy, and instead was long and forked at the end. "Is that why I feel like I know everything in this forest? And what is going to happen? And why I feel…different?"

"Not just the forest, Takashi." Voltheo twitched his blood-smeared ear. "The whole Kanto region. And probably even the whole universe."

_Wow_, Takashi thought as he stared at his reflection again. _If a weak pokemon like me can have such great knowledge, then everything's possible._


	5. Chapter 4

"Let's see what you can do now!" Voltheo told Takashi. "Can you teleport? Move things with your mind? Oh, let me guess. Levitate-"

"Dad, have you never met an Espeon before?" Takashi was amused. His father was so excited, he had forgotten that Takashi was his son.

"My apologies. I forgot that you just , I have seen other Espeon. You are somewhat different, though. Your tail is longer than most Espeon."

"Takashi!"

Ferns parted and Takashi's mother sprang out of them, fur bushed out. Takashi hadn't even known that was possible. "Have you seen Nyroc?" she demanded, looking around wildly. "He's been gone for such a long time-"

She paused, taking her son in. "You evolved! You still have your familiar scent, though. I'm so proud of you!" A tumble of words poured out of her mouth like a waterfall. Takashi shied away in embarrassment.

"Mom, it's fine. I'm still same old Takashi," he pointed out. Rei's eyes glimmered with amusement, but they were still shadowed by worry for Nyroc.

"Nyroc is bound to be around here somewhere. He's gone off before for a long time without telling you before," Takashi reminded his mother in an attempt to comfort her. _As revenge for doting on me, probably_, Takashi thought grimly.

Rei's ruffled blue fur began to smoothen. "Oh yes, right. I guess I just let panic overtake me. Hato is also looking for Nyroc, over there." She pointed with her tail.

"I'll go search over there." Voltheo sprang into the tall grass behind him.

"Guess I'll have to search this area then," Takashi muttered to himself, bounding lightly over to a meld of green trees. Discarded apricornballs still lay around, evenly split into two. Takashi nosed around the bushes before giving up and yowled to the sky, as loud as he could. That sent several Pidgey flying.

"Nyroc! Can you hear me? Come home! Please!"

He waited a little while before he decided to shout again, louder. "Nyroc! Please come back! Wherever you are! Can you hear me?" He paused. "Our parents need you!" Takashi's voice shook as he added, "I need you!"

Whatever Nyroc had done, he was still his brother. The Umbreon might not feel close to him, but Takashi still loved him. He would not rest until he had found the Dark-type.

"Let's see, I haven't tried here yet." He padded over to a bunch of ferns and started sniffing them. No scent whatsoever of Nyroc. Going over to patch of grass, Takashi tried again. "Nyroc! Where are you?"

A Pikachu, nestled comfortably among the fronds, raised his head sleepily and in annoyance. "Do you mind? Can you see some of us are trying to sleep?"

"I'm sorry!" Takashi lowered his head. "My brother is missing. I'm just really worried about him, that's all."

"Well, if he's missing, yowling won't do much." The mouse-like pokemon flicked one ear. "You can probably do more if you went back to where he was last seen and tracked his scent from there."

"Okay, thanks." Takashi flicked one ear in acknowledgement and sped over to the last place he had seen him, near the den. Speeding through the woods, he hardly had time to stop before he collided head-first with Hato.

Hato sprang back, rubbing his head with one finely-groomed wing. "Takashi! Have you gone mad? You have to watch where you run now. You've really gotten faster now that you've evolved."

Takashi looked at him in surprise. "You knew?"

Hato shrugged. "I just found your father. He told me the news. And you're the only Espeon in this entire forest. Who else could you be?"

"Oh," he intoned. Takashi sniffed the air, detecting the normal forest scents. A few Bug Pokémon-running from a Nopelt from the scent of them-a few Pikachu, his parents, Hato, himself and…

Takashi sniffed harder. There was something else. His heart gave a leap of joy as he identified the scent-Nyroc!

"I smell something!" Takashi told Hato. "Nyroc's been this way."

Hato nodded. "Go on. I'll follow you."

Takashi twitched his ears in response. Sniffing the ferns as he went by, he began to track Nyroc's route. The trail grew fainter and fainter, until it stopped entirely at a building. Takashi exchanged glances with Hato, bewildered.

"Maybe he's-"

Hato was cut off by a sudden piercing shriek beyond the building. Takashi instantly sprang up and charged towards the place where the sound had come from. "Mom? That was Mom!"

Icy paws clutched at Takashi's heart. He charged blindly through the city, expecting the worst.

Suddenly, Hato appeared in front of him, hovering in midair, making Takashi stop. "Look," he told Takashi, tossing his head towards the north. "Lots of Nofeathers. And the smell of fresh blood." Hato's eyes were wide with horror. "And in the middle of them…Rei."

Takashi's own eyes widened. "No! She can't be dead!" He turned and ran over to the commotion. "I won't believe it!"

Hato flew behind Takashi, wings flapping frantically. But Takashi hardly heard. All he saw now was the single, blood-covered body of his mother.

"Mom!" Takashi flung himself on the Water-type Pokémon's body, covering her with frantic licks. "What happened? Say something! Tell me you aren't dying!"

Most of the normal fire in Rei's eyes had gone, and in its place was a horrible, glazed, emptiness. "Takashi, don't be a silly furball," she managed to whisper. "I'm going to join the Starpelts and you know it. I'll watch over you forever. Just tell your father something which I've haven't the chance to say yet."

Takashi leaned closer. "What?" He would give his life to fulfill Rei's final wish.

Rei's eyes shone with pride momentarily. "Tell your father that you have a new sibling. It was just laid today. He hasn't seen the egg yet." With a soft sigh, Rei's body jerked. And then, she was still.

Takashi buried his muzzle into his dead mother's fur. "Mom," he choked out.

Hato landed next to him. "Thank you," he whispered, smoothing Rei's blood-soaked fur with his wings and beak, making them come away bloody and sticky. "You were a good friend to me."

Now that the initial shock was over, it was as though Takashi's ears had been unplugged. Now, he heard everything the Nopelts were saying.

"I didn't mean to. I saw that Pokémon only when it was too late!" sobbed a bald, chubby Nopelt.

"If only the Pokémon center was open today," sighed a female Nopelt sadly. "They would have saved that Vaporeon."

Another Nopelt laid his paw on the bald Nopelt's shoulder. "What's done is done," he told the Nopelt quietly. "Don't blame yourself too much."

Takashi wanted to spring up and claw that Nopelt's eyes off. _It's okay for you. Rei wasn't your mother!_ But he knew that deep down, the Nopelt was right. And he too, sympathized with the bald Nopelt. It was an accident. Rei's death wasn't meant to be.

"The Nofeathers seem sad too," observed Hato quietly. Takashi stared, numb, down at Rei's lifeless body. "Come on. We need to bury her in the forest, where she belongs," he told Hato.

Takashi gripped Rei by her collar and Hato helped to support her tail. Together, they made it to the forest, eyes dull and tails drooping.


	6. Chapter 5

The two pokemon trudged wearily through the forest, Espeon in front and Pidgeotto behind.

"Takashi!" came a voice. The Psychic-type turned to find his father. "Have you found Nyroc?" Voltheo asked.

"Well, no," Takashi replied. Takashi must have been depressed, since Voltheo looked concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

Silence. Then: "Voltheo, I hate to break it to you, but," Hato murmured. "Rei's dead."

Voltheo's eyes widened. "No! I don't believe it!"

"This is her body, Dad," Takashi told him, flicking one ear at the dead body of his mother. All his grief was contained in this one simple gesture.

Voltheo's short stub of a tail drooped. "Give me her body, please. I need to bury Rei where she belongs."

Takashi managed to unload his burden on his father's shoulders, and watched him walk away, making no effort to run. Even his fur now lay flat, somehow managing to look like drooping.

Espeon and Pidgeotto were silent for a while. After a while, Takashi spoke up. "Hato?"

"Hmmm?" Hato had his eyes on his feet, his own way of grieving.

"You know when Mom was about to die?"

The Flying-and-Normal-type finally looked up. "Don't remind me. It was a horrible, gory, death."

"I know. I felt so helpless. I couldn't help her. I don't want to feel that way."

Takashi paused. "I want to become a berrier."

Hato gave him a sideways glance. "You sure? You want to learn about berries?"

The Psychic-type Pokémon nodded.

Hato sighed. "I can ask my grandclaw-the father of my father. I heard he was an experienced berrier. He wanted to be one from the day he hatched."

"Hatched…Oh! Right! The Pokémon egg!" Takashi exclaimed. He jumped up and followed his father's tracks, tracking him by scent. "Dad!" he yowled when Voltheo's yellow body came into sight. He was sitting quietly next to a patch of uneven soil, near Takashi's home.

_Mom's burial site_, Takashi guessed. How an Electric-type had managed to Dig so fast was beyond him.

"Dad, Mom told me to tell you that she has another egg. I have a sibling," he told the Jolteon.

As predicted, the Electric-type Pokémon's eyes showed a faint spark of happiness. "Oh, really? Thank you. Could you take the egg for a walk?"

"Walk?" Takashi was dumbfounded.

"It's how all eggs hatch. Try to take as many steps as you can. Wrap your tail around it. Don't let other Pokés steal it."

"Sure I'll take it out, but I have to find it first." Takashi trotted into the den. He sniffed around for any new scent since he had left. Almost at once, he caught a Eevee-like scent, mingled with the scent of unhatched Pokémon and eggs. He approached where he thought the smell was coming from.

He spotted a brown egg, with a white zigzag across it. Using his tail as a makeshift egg carrier, he walked outside.

"Boy, I need to get used to this," he told his father once he found him.

Voltheo nodded. "Such responsibility. Now, go find Hato, and let me grieve in silence."

Obeying his father, Takashi sprinted away, following his own scent trail. As he strolled along, he thought about how beautiful the forest looked, what with all the lush greenery. Then, he thought of the Pokémon who had brought him to Viridian Forest.

"Thank you, Mum," he murmured.

For a moment, Takashi could feel a Pokémon twining itself around him, feeling like a gush of water. A voice seemed to say, _I will always watch over you, my son._

In his sorrow and daze, Takashi almost missed a cry. When it came again, he froze.

"Help me!"

What was that? Takashi thought. It sounded like a Pokémon.

The cry came again, and the Espeon decided to run towards it. What he saw amazed him. An injured Spearow, about to fall off a tall tree. One of her wings was broken.

"Let go! I'll catch you!" he yowled.

"No way! It's too high and I can't fly!" the Spearow tightened her grip on the branch she was clinging on to with her uninjured wing. Her claws scrabbled for a hold, but found none. She was too small. "Can't you levitate me down?"

"No," Takashi admitted. "I don't know Psychic." The spearow snorted. "How helpful you are!"

_How ungrateful _you_ are. When somepoké is trying to rescue me, I wouldn't insult them, _he thought. "Then I'm coming up to get you!" he said out loud.

Takashi put the egg down gently on the grass. Bunching his muscles, he managed to leap up into the tree. He wasn't used to this. As he looked down, he felt dizzy.

"Don't look down!" called the Spearow. Well, she had _some_ sense in her.

"Understood." Takashi gritted his teeth, using his tail as a grip. He continued to climb, slipping occasionally, and eventually drew near enough to reach the bird. She let out a gasp as Takashi grabbed some of her neck feathers in his mouth.

"Sorry," Takashi mumbled through a mouthful of feathers.

He proceeded to climb back down with caution. Eventually, with some slips and some loss of grips, Takashi made it in one piece. He set down the Spearow, and both pokemon lay there, gasping for breath, just looking at each other.

Finally, the rescued Spearow spoke up. "So, what brings you here?"

Takashi pointed to the egg. "I was here walking my sibling. What about you?"

"I was escaping from my Nopelt. Caught me and then put me in some box. What nerve! Anyway, when she was accessing the box, I flew out. Then, I flew here. Along the way some Pokémon attacked me and gave me a broken wing." Her voice grew bitter.

Takashi decided to change the subject. "So, what's your name?"

The Spearow fluffed out her chest feathers. "Name's Perla. Yours?"

_Typical spearow pride,_ Takashi thought."Takashi."

"Nice to meet you."

"Takashi? Where are you? I've been searching for at least-" Hato's voice, slightly annoyed, stopped when he saw Perla next to Takashi.

"Who's this?" Hato demanded of the Espeon.

Takashi flicked his tail. "This is Perla. She's injured." With a mildly challenging tone, he asked, "So, do you think I should become a berrier now?"

Hato detected it. "I never told you not to be one."

Takashi sighed. "Fine. You win. And now, do you know where to find any berries that will help this Spearow?"

Hato examined Perla closely. "It's a _broken wing_, Takashi. Only time will heal it. We can try some Oran berries though. Looks like Perla's low on health."

"And _where_ do we get these Oran berries?"

"Nopelts usually grow them," Hato told Takashi. "And Oran berries aren't found in the Viridian Forest."

"Oran berries, you say?" Perla piped up. "My Nopelt gave me one to hold. Didn't know what it was for."

She lifted her uninjured wing, and Takashi could see a bright blue berry tied to her with a piece of string. She managed to untie it, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Hato gave Takashi a glance. "She has a Nopelt?"

"She tells me she was running away from them."

"Not running away-_escaping_!" Perla snapped. "Running away is for cowards. Escaping is for brave birds. Know the difference!"

Hato whispered, "That figures. That's some attitude. Probably couldn't stand being a Nopelt's monster."

Takashi sighed. "Anyway, Perla, we'd better bring you back to our den."


	7. Chapter 6

The next morning, Takashi awoke to loud squawks outside the tunnel. Light shone in through the entrance.

"I told you, gramps. Takashi wants to be a berrier and he needs your help."

"Well, that doesn't justify dragging my old feathers here!"

Takashi assumed it was Hato's grandclaw.

"I didn't drag you here. You decided to come!"

"Well, I don't remember saying that, young'un."

"That's 'cause you're old."

"Language!" scolded Hato's grandclaw.

"Language yourself," grumbled Hato.

"Mind your manners, young'un!"

"Quit squawking so loud, will you? Takashi, Voltheo and Perla are still asleep!"

"Too late," Takashi called out, pushing his way outside. "You guys woke me up."

Taking a good look at Hato's grandclaw, he realized with a jolt how old the Pokémon was.

Hato's grandclaw's feathers were dull, as if he had stopped caring for them. There were visible wrinkles underneath his eyes too. At some places, feathers were missing. His feet and beak were covered in white stuff, which Hato lacked.

Hato sighed impatiently. "See? You've just managed to wake a sleeping Espeon. You're lucky he's friendly! Now, Perla and Volt-"

The old Pidgeot cut him off. "Who in tarnation is this Perla? Is she your mate-to-be or something?"

"Actually, I like males," Hato said sarcastically. He sounded like a mutinous Fighting-type being reprimanded for not training hard enough.

Hato's grandclaw ignored him and turned to Takashi. "You're the berrier wannabe, aren't you? I'm here to teach you what I know."

"So you finally admit you actually wanted to come here?" came Hato's drawl. "Well then, I'll just leave you here with Takashi so you two can get to know more about each other. Goodbye, gramps."

Turning around, he muttered, "_Grumps_!" before flying away. Hato's grandclaw shook his head. "Young'uns nowadays."

He took a closer look at Takashi. "T'name's Hirasuru. So you're one of Hato's friends, eh?"

Takashi shifted. "Yes."

"Well, I must as well teach you something useful then. We're wasting time."

Takashi gave a little bounce. "So, what's the plan, Hato's grandclaw?"

"Call me by my name, if you please," the old Pidgeot waved his right wing.

"Sorry, Hirasuru. So, now what?"

"First, we must introduce you to the Starpelts and Starfeathers as a new berrier. Berriers have to be acknowledged by them first, you know. If they don't recognize you as one, you won't have the berrier status."

"Okay. How do we do that?"

"Well, you'll have to go and sleep to meet the Starpelts in your dreams."

Takashi flicked his tail. "How do I know I'll dream of them? Before you woke me up I had a dreamless sleep."

"The Starpelts and Starfeathers will surely come to you when an experienced berrier's with you. And if you actually want to be one," Hirasuru told him.

Takashi yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm still kinda tired anyway, so no problem there."

Later, Takashi woke up.

Wherever he was, it sure didn't feel like his nest. Or look like his tunnel.

All around him were green pastures. A thick forest stared from a distance. And the sky was dotted with stars, brighter than any he had ever seen.

However, what amazed him the most was the Pokémon around him.

Some of them seemed normal, without anything unusual.

The rest seemed to fade into the background. And were glittering. Takashi strained his neck. What was the glittering stuff?

A sudden tap on his shoulder startled him. Takashi jumped around with fur on end only to find the one Pokémon he had missed so dearly.

"Mom?" he croaked. Up close, he could see that she, too, had a glittering pelt that shined like stars. He felt his heart soar again as it had not had since Rei had died.

Rei's eyes glittered. "Welcome, my son. And how is your little sister doing?"

"Err…what?" Takashi was confused. Sister?

"The egg," Rei replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh! How do you know she's a girl?" Takashi was surprised.

"I'm a spirit now. I can see things you can't. I can see the unborn Eevee, squirming in her egg, dreaming about soft clouds and green grass. But never mind that, I have come here to show you something, which, as a berrier, you need."

With that, she bounded away with Takashi tailing her. Along the way, they passed two Pokémon, one glittering and the other like any other Pokémon in the forest.

"Now, Yuko, if you see a Pokémon drop a berry, what should you do?" the starry Xatu asked patiently.

"Eat it, of course!" the Purrloin answered eagerly.

"That is incorrect," answered the Xatu patiently. "You should return it to that Pokémon immediately!"

"Why can't I get any of these questions right?" wailed Yuko.

Takashi pointed to the pair. "What's going on?"

Rei sat down. "Some Pokémon, especially Dark-types like Yuko, are misguided. We seek them out in their dreams and try to teach them right and justice. But not every one of them listens and goes down the dark path of a Shadowpelt or Shadowfeather."

"Oh no," whispered Takashi quietly.

"Well, I need to show the special items to you now. Let's get going." Rei walked more slowly now. As Takashi left the Xatu and Purrloin behind, he heard another conversation between the two.

"Yuko, if you see an injured Pokémon with a berry, should you try to help it, or should you claw it and take its berry?"

"Answer number two. Duh!"

"That is also incorrect. It was number one." The Xatu then impersonated Yuko's voice. "Duh!"

"Awww!" grumbled the Purrloin yet again as her voice faded. Looking back in front, Takashi realized that Rei had come to a halt and he had almost crashed into her.

Rei moved so that he could see. "Ta-da! These are the berry pots. They allow you to plant berries. Here in the place of the Starpelts and Starfeathers, we can grow a special type of berry-the Starberries! It completely heals the pokemon who eats it."

_So the Pokémon with glittering pelts and feathers were Starpelts and Starfeathers_, Takashi thought. He should have guessed.

"So how do I grow them?" Takashi asked aloud.

Rei put her tail round one of the pots. "You see that Squirtbottle over there? Use it to water the berries once you've planted them in the pots." She looked a tad guilty. "Well, that was the first and will be the last time we'll let a theft go. Thanks to a Nopelt's Murkrow, we have a way to cultivate berries."

Before Takashi could react, Rei stood up. "You'd better go now. In the waking world, you've been sleeping long enough."

The light around him dimmed, and dimmed to shade of black so dark that Takashi began to get a little creeped out. He wondered if this was a common trait among Psychics.

Then, he heard voices. Squabbling ones, as always.

"Quit squawking! Takashi's sleeping!"

"How much do young'uns need to sleep anyway? That wannabe's been asleep for the longest time. Once he starts learning, he'd better not be this lazy!"

"If you remember, you woke him up in the first place."

"Ah, yes, but that doesn't justify laziness."

Takashi opened one eye. "And you woke me up once again." He sat up. "Where's Dad?"

"Took the egg for a walk," Hato told him.

"She," murmured Takashi. "It's a girl. Mom told me that."

"Oh, wow." Hato seemed surprised. "What did she say? And how was it like in that place? I wanted grumps here to tell me, but he kept fussing about your 'sleeping habits'." Hato made air quotation marks with his claws awkwardly.

"Manners!" scolded Hirasuru.

"Whatever," Hato grumbled.

"Anyway, Takashi. Once you're done cleaning your fur or whatever it is that Espeon do, meet me outside." The Pidgeot walked out of the tunnel.

"I'll be happy to get some time to myself," Hato muttered to Takashi, before walking after his grandclaw.

Takashi sat down for a while, reflecting on what had just happened in his dream. He let the scenes play over in his mind, again and again. _Mum. _His heart tightened again. She was still dead, but now that he had seen her as a Starpelt, the pain didn't hurt as much.

It didn't matter if he was late. He could just use 'cleaning fur' as an excuse.

It didn't take long for the Pidgeot to realize how late he was. "Hey, wannabe! Get your pelt here before I skin you alive!"

With a half-amused sigh, he ran to join him.


	8. Chapter 7

"Quit lagging behind, Perla! We need to hide all these berries before time's up!"

Even behind him, he could hear Takashi counting down. "One minute and fifty-five seconds, one minute and fifty-four seconds…Hey, Hirasuru, what's with the wait?"

He slipped a Cheri berry under a bush while he eavesdropped. His grandclaw snapped, "Just do it! You need to find all the berries hidden around here and hiding them is no easy task for your friends!"

Takashi stared at him in amazement. "Then why didn't you just say so?"

"Boo!"

"AAARRGHH!"

Hato was knocked to the ground, to find a rather smug Spearow on his chest feathers. "Perla! Don't do that!"

"Eavesdropping, eh? Don't be such a bad bird and go hide your berries! I've hidden my last Pecha berry, Chesto berry, and, um…"

Perla looked around quickly before whispering, "And I ate the Oran berries. Well, Takashi'll never find them now, at least."

"He's supposed to find them eventually, you birdbrain!" Hato squawked incredulously.

Perla looked nonchalant. "Well, i need the berries more than he does. Look. Broken wing," she reminded him, holding it up. Before Hato could say a word, she went on. "I need them to recover. Bones aren't going to heal themselves, you know."

"Yes, they do," muttered Hato. Perla's expression looked just like a Meowstic, but she sure didn't think like one.

Perla ignored him. "Anyway, get on with it! Hup hup hup and on you go!"

"For a Pokémon with a broken part, you talk a lot," he grumbled as he raised the leafy covers of his secret stash and carried some of them away. The rest could be left there.

Behind him, he heard Perla rumbling on. "Did that stop the Chatot?"

He ignored her as he threw a berry into a tree with his beak. Takashi climbed up to save that too-talkative Spearow. He could do it again.

"Hey."

"AAARRGHH!"

He turned around, furious, expecting an arrogant Spearow on the leafy ground. Instead, a yellow Pokémon with spiky fur stood staring at him. "Hato? It's not like you to be angry."

Hato pointed a wing at where he had last saw the Spearow. Not to his surprise, she had flew off somewhere. "It's Perla. Get this. She ate some of the berries Takashi was supposed to find! Grandclaw'll blow up!"

Voltheo looked weary. "That Spearow is a troublemaker. I'll let Hirasuru know and ask him to talk to her."

Then, grinning slyly, he added, "And just why does she wind you up so much?"

"Uhh…" Hato suddenly preened his feathers, suddenly finding them very interesting. "What are you suggesting? That I think she's kinda interesting but won't admit it?"

Looking at Voltheo's 'I-knew-it' face, he added, sheepishly, "Well, then you have quite the imagination, my friend."

Later, during the evening, Takashi stretched out luxuriously on the soft grass, exhausted from the afternoon's exercise while Perla flew to and fro, grasping a leafy basket in her tan beak. Every second trip, the basket would be full, but on the next trip, it would be empty again.

After a while: "Perla? How do you keep moving? How can such a little Pokémon have that much energy?"

Perla huffed and started bouncing up and down just to prove it._ Oh, starting a rebellion, are we_, Takashi thought.

"All I did was eat a couple of Oran berries and now Hato's grandclaw is making me collect berries to make Pokéblocks. And, next…" she squinted at the leaf. "Razz berries? Oh, come on! Who has _time_ for those?"

"Hirasuru can make Pokéblocks?" Takashi wondered.

"I just saw him. He made, like, 10 from Aspear, Cheri, and Bluk berries. Or 11. Basically he just mixes them together but I'm not sure what happens after that. He squawked at me to go find more." Perla made a face.

"Hey you! Young'un! You're so loud I can hear you from here!" bellowed Hirasuru, his voice seeming to come right from the shaking trees themselves.

"Harrumph. Well, bye, now." The little sparrow-like Pokémon wiggled her behind at the tree before flying away into the darkness.

Takashi was just starting to wonder if her flock had abandoned her, and on purpose, when he thought he saw a flicker of black in the bushes.

Nyroc? Takashi sprang up in hope. Have you come back?

Takashi blinked and the black was gone. Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination. He slumped back down.

"Hey, son. What are you thinking about?"

The Espeon jumped a little and whipped around to face Voltheo. "Hi, Dad. I thought Nyroc had come back, but maybe it was just the light playing tricks on my eyes…" His ears and tail drooped, casting long shadows on the ground behind him.

Voltheo gave Takashi a comforting lick. "Don't worry. He's bound to have come back by now. I mean, this isn't the first time."

Behind the bushes, an Umbreon turned and stalked off in the opposite direction. "So, they still aren't worried about me. But _no_, when poor little Takashi gets upset, he gets comfort."

He growled. "My life sucks."

"Hey, old birdie! You can make mean Pokéblocks!"

Hato looked slightly exasperated. "Is that an insult or a compliment?"

Perla stuck out her tongue, showing a scrambled blue and pink mass. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? That's _disgusting_!"

"That's enough," Voltheo cut in. He then gave Takashi a wink, much to his befuddlement.

"Well, Perla's right at the Pokéblock bit," Takashi mumbled around a mouthful of red Pokeblocks. _Was that what you wanted me to say, Dad? _he wondered.

Voltheo reached for more, only to find the leaf empty. "Oh, that's all? Perla, you were making so many trips I thought there was going to be at least a hundred!"

"A hundred and twenty-two!" She puffed out her chest. "I counted. And since I did the Pyroar's share of the work, I get, like, half of them!"

Hirasuru shook his nearly featherless head. "That one has a big mouth not only for talking, but for eating too."

"I. K. R." Hato muttered, who for once agred with his grandclaw. He hadn't taken into account, however, that Hirasuru would not understand modern adolescent-Pokémon speech.

"What? What does that mean? You're spouting nonsense again, aren't you?"

"Um, it means 'I know right'." Voltheo stood on all fours and shook his pelt. "Excuse me now. These Pokéblocks look like decent offerings to put beside Rei's grave." He picked up the remaining purple Pokeblocks he had been saving gently and padded away.

"I'm guessing your dad knows about it because he used to have a Nopelt," remarked Hato. "Almost all of the adults I know are clueless. Anyway, it's too bad there aren't many flowers around now for him to make a proper offering. It's almost going to be winter."

"I lament along with him. But, now, moving on to more important matters-" Hirasuru fluffed what was left of his feathers proudly. "Where will I stay?"

"Extinguish the fire, he said," Perla grumbled under her breath, about half an hour later. "An easy task, he said! Oh ho, no. I hope I live to an old enough age to warn other Pokemon about that idiotic grandclaw…"

Looking around, she slowed her pace._ Well, this forest ain't half-bad_, she thought as she surveyed the nighttime scene. But, alas, no water. All the puddles had dried up by now.

She did a final look around before screeching, "Just WHERE am I supposed to find WATER in this STUPID FOREST?!"

As if right on cue, what was left of the fire died out. Perla, suddenly finding herself drowned in shadows, started. She leant over to study her 'work'. "Hmmm. Is my screech really that bad? Well, it's been put out, at least."

She headed back to the den, mumbling to herself. "If it is that bad, I'll never become the bird with the best singing voice…what to do, what to do? My dreams have been crushed! There's nothing left!"

As her voice rose to a dramatic wail, she didn't notice a single spark snaking its way across the grass.

Takashi was dreaming.

He was on a mountain of berries. He was getting twitchy after inhaling their scents when he thought he saw something.

"Hey, there's a message in the sky!"

He observed the blue sky, clouds in the form of words drifting about. "Takashi. Wake up. That's a stupid thing to write in the sky."

Then he realised what it said. "Wake up? Wake up? Why? Now?"

"TAKASHI!"

Takashi woke with a start to see his father bending over him. "What in the Kanto region?"

He was about to ask when he smelled smoke. He knew why his father had woken him now. 


End file.
